If you listened to today’s The Terrible Podcast, I joked the big media is listening to Dave Bryan on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ selections.
Now, I’m pretty convinced. Twelve hours after Dave released his mock draft, giving the team Tre White in the first round, Fox Sports’ Dieter Kurtenbach has the Steelers doing the same at pick 30. His brief reasoning.
“White’s tackling ability is certainly a big question, but the Steelers need a slot corner and White is an elite cover man with incredible fluidity.”
White is now squarely in the conversation at 30 for Pittsburgh after the Steelers sent the house to his Pro Day. Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert, and Carnell Lake were all in attendance. White has a chance to be the Day One starting slot corner, starting all four years in the SEC. Read my report on White here and expect his name to gain steam in the first round conversation.
In the second, Kurtenbach gave the Steelers WR Zay Jones. The need for wide receiver isn’t the highest, though there’s a case to be made, especially with Martavis Bryant’s status still unknown, but Jones is a fit. He was one of five receivers to check every box in the study we did yesterday. That was thanks to his terrific Combine workout, running a 4.45, jumped 11’1″ in the broad and a blistering 4.01 in the three cone short shuttle.
Derek Rivers drops to the third and goes to Pittsburgh at 94 in this mock. The household media seems to be souring on the likes of Carl Lawson and Rivers, dropping them down, but falling all the way to 94 still seems like one heck of a stretch. But the value makes sense and Rivers is someone the Steelers have shown interest in. I’d run to the card to the table if he drops all the way down there.
Curiously, Pittsburgh reaches for TE Jeremy Sprinkle with the 105th overall pick, their compensatory selection. Sprinkle is one of this classes best blockers but offers nothing as a receiver and has a bizarre off the field incident at this year’s bowl game, getting caught for shoplifting at a place where he was given a $450 gift card.
Finally, the Steelers take OLB Carroll Phillips at 135. That makes sense, especially on the heels of word the Steelers were bringing him in for a visit today. Phillips is someone we’ve told you the team was high on. But as we wrote today, he’s older than your usual prospect and still pretty raw.
I certainly will give Kurtenbach credit for banging out these extensive mock drafts and for Pittsburgh at least, they’ve seemed to improve from ones he mocked up several weeks ago. Of course, none of this really matters and we’re all just biding our time until draft day.
